Next iPad Mini to get hi-res display, larger iPad to be lighter, report says

When the iPad Mini launched in November, its lack of Apple’s much-touted high-resolution Retina display caused the eyebrows of many a reviewer to rise in surprise, while a few furrowed in downright disappointment. The iPhone has it, they thought, as does the 9.7-inch iPad. The MacBook Pro has it too, and the iPod Touch. But no, when the iPad Mini launched, a more modest 1024 x 768 display was the order of the day.

Of course, despite the surprise and disappointment, consumers are still shelling out for it big-time, in fact a recent report suggested it’s doing so well that it’s screwing up sales of its big brother.

A Retina display could nevertheless be in the works. A report from Taiwan-based tech publication Digitimes suggests Apple has decided to launch the second-generation of the diminutive iPad with a higher-resolution display, though it couldn’t confirm if it would be an actual Retina display.

It continued, “The sources have yet to specify whether the device will use Apple’s Retina display technology to enhance resolution, but market observers said it is highly likely based on the development of past Apple products such as the iPhone and 9.7-inch iPad series.”

While Digitimes’ sources have on occasion proved to be about as reliable as a lottery-number forecaster, the publication has managed to call it right occasionally (I suppose it has to be right eventually. The prospect of the next Mini turning up with a better display makes sense anyway – it might even be that Apple kept it from the original Mini merely because it wanted to have something appealing for the next version, along with a “more powerful battery” and a “thinner, lighter design.”

Speaking of weight, Digitimes’ sources also said the Cupertino company’s next-generation 9.7-inch iPad will be lighter, made possible by decreasing the number of LED light bars from two to one.

The 7.9-inch iPad Mini was announced in October and sells for between $329 and $659, depending on its configuration. Reviews have been largely positive for the smaller iPad, one of which you can read here.